UoP deprived needy students, says report

PUNE: The University of Pune (UoP) has come in for some severe flak from the office of the principal accountant general (PAG- Audit 1), Maharashtra, for not complying with objections raised by the latter on various matters, including non-utilisation of scholarship funds to the tune of over Rs 1.57 crore.
“...the money was lying undisbursed with the university, resulting in blocking up of government funds and depriving the students of the financial assistance,” stated an inspection report (IR) on the accounts of the UoP for financial year 2007-08.
A test check of the accounts and other records of the UoP was conducted, under section 14 (2) of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (DPC) Act, 1971, between August 12, 2010, and September 17, 2010, by the office of the PAG- Audit 1, Maharashtra, which falls under the central government’s Indian Audit and Accounts Department.
City-based activist Vihar Durve had moved a plea under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking the latest copy of the government audit report and its compliance by the UoP. In response, senior deputy accountant general (administration) Mani K, who is also the public information officer with the PAG, forwarded a copy of the concerned IR to Durve.
Durve has now moved a fresh plea before the UoP seeking details about the non-utilised scholarship money and officers accountable for compliance with the accountant general’s report.
“The fact that funds worth Rs 1.57 crore, received from the state and central governments for scholarships to SC, ST, OBC and other eligible students, remain unutilised shows that there are lacunae in the system for disbursal of scholarship money,” Durve told TOI on Monday.
In reply to the PAG’s inspecting authorities, the UoP has stated, “...various departments were instructed to ascertain balance payment of scholarship to the students and the unpaid amount would be refunded to the government during 2010-11.”
According to the IR, the UoP has opened four accounts — one at the Pune treasury and three at the Bank of Maharashtra — for the scholarship transactions. “The scrutiny of records in respect of all types of scholarships revealed that the sum of Rs 1,57,96,265.83 was found undisbursed and lying with the university authority,” the IR stated.
The total opening balance in all the four accounts as on April 1, 2007, was Rs 1,28,95,970.24. Scholarship funds of Rs 3,11,86,054 — received during 2007-08 — were added to these accounts, taking the cumulative balance to Rs 4,40,82,024.24. Against this, the scholarships disbursed during 2007-08 were of Rs 2,82,85,759, leaving over Rs 1.57 crore unutilised, the IR stated.
The PAG report asks the UoP to specify reasons for the non-disbursement of the remainder of the scholarship funds. “As per financial procedure, undisbursed scholarship amounts were to be refunded to the sanctioning authority every year. The same was not done since beginning,” the IR stated.
The report has further raised an exception to the UoP’s “persistent” failure to furnish on record a year-wise breakup of undisbursed scholarship funds, for inspection. “This is a persistent irregularity as the situation remained the same during earlier audits too,” stated the IR.